It’s not often that Democratic lawmakers set out to directly confront President Barack Obama.
So by passing bipartisan legislation Tuesday that would allow families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia, Congress has set itself on a collision course with the Obama administration.
And it’s got the Saudis so mad, they’re threatening Obama.
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, approved by voice vote, had triggered a threat from Saudi Arabia to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy if the bill is enacted.
The legislation, sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., gives victims’ families the right to sue in U.S. court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington, D.C., area and Pennsylvania.
The House still must act on the legislation.
Relatives of Sept. 11 victims have urged the Obama administration to declassify and release U.S. intelligence that allegedly discusses possible Saudi involvement in the attacks.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir denied earlier this month that the kingdom made any threats over the bill. He said Riyadh had warned investor confidence in the U.S. would shrink if the bill became law.
“In fact what they (Congress) are doing is stripping the principle of sovereign immunities, which would turn the world for international law into the law of the jungle,” Al-Jubeir said in a May 3 statement.
The Treasury Department said Monday that Saudi Arabia in March held $116.8 billion in Treasury debt.
Passage of the bill sends the message that the United States “will combat terrorism with every tool we have available, and that the victims of terrorist attacks in our country should have every means at their disposal to seek justice,” Cornyn said.
Schumer said that any foreign government that aids terrorists who strike the U.S. “will pay a price if it is proven they have done so.”
Senate Democrats had firmly supported the legislation, putting them at odds with the Obama administration. The White House has said the bill could expose Americans overseas to legal risks, and spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday efforts to revise the legislation fell short in addressing the administration’s concerns about preserving sovereign immunity.
“Given the concerns that we’ve expressed, it’s difficult to imagine the president signing this legislation,” Earnest told reporters at the White House.
Schumer was confident the Senate had the necessary two-thirds vote of the chamber to override a presidential veto.
“We don’t think their arguments stand up,” the New York lawmaker said at a news conference after the Senate action.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate subcommittee that controls foreign aid, had blocked the bill from moving to the Senate floor until changes were made to ensure the legislation didn’t backfire on the United States.
Graham’s apprehension was rooted in the possibility a foreign country could sue the United States if the door is opened for U.S. citizens to take the Saudis to court. Graham released his hold earlier this month, clearing the way for Senate action.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also had warned that the legislation, if passed, would alienate Saudi Arabia and undermine a longstanding yet strained relationship with a critical U.S. ally in the Middle East.
Schumer said it is false to claim that the bill encourages retaliation or litigation against the United States.
“We’re not busy training people to blow up buildings and kill innocent civilians in other countries,” Schumer said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
We have many Satilites in space and they could blowup the training camps Period and they won,t do it Period
That sounds good. There must be some action taken to gid rid of the terrorist camps in the USA
That would be a good start then move on to this corrupt administration and political hacks.
When are you going yo go for TRUTH?? if your interested go here. http://rense.com/general57/aale.htm
OBAMA LIED, AND W LIED…. The government is corrupt and TRUMP is going to blow the whole thing up because this is OUR COUNTRY, and government exists TO SERVE WE THE PEOPLE – Not the other way around….
We expect and demand the truth
Like TRUMP said; WE want the IRS to AUDIT THE GOVERNMENT ! It is our money they are pissing away.
Learn more about 9/ll in Rebekah Roth’s books “Methodical Deception” and “Methodical Illusion.”
If he told the truth the whitehouse might fall down
If he told the truth ,he wouldn’t have gotten in, wake up he was not elected by the people . we haven’t chosen the presidents for 30 years. The ILLUMINATI has, this you can believe if you take the time to read the truth. to lazy,to tired, don’t care then pass it up. but for you that are worried about your children and grandchildren ,be wise. Can’t change what you don’t know.
http://rense,com/general58/suspre.htm
Cannot wait to read all about the illegal unAmerican president with a clear plan for the destruction of our Democracy. If the destruction is not his motive he is even more ignorant than he seems.
Of Hillary Rottan Clinton is salivating while preparing to finish the job. At this point I still have faith in the Real Americans who will not allow the election of an obviously unAmerican shrew to the office of president
Sept 11, 2001 was perhaps the worst day in U.S. history. What have our citizens and nation done to avenge this heinous act. They bought patriotic bumper stickers and t-shirts. Only about 2% of our 19-35 year olds have served in the military in the past 15 years. Our borders are open. Hater cultures get preference in our immigration policy. Our Army is at 1940 staffing levels. Fox News recently reported that a large amount of our Air Force is short of parts because of budget cuts. Our Navy has the fewest ships since 1917. We are into nation building with jokers who have hated each other for a millennium. The Bush and Obama years are a period of decline, malaise and apathy.
Main Street: Your comments were well received and right on target.
Thank you for just telling it like it is. Plain and simple. The Truth.
Hillary is a clear danger as well as Obummer. She has taken money from Muslim countries through the Clinton Foundation. We have to ask ourselves what they would expect in return. The countries are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, The United Arab Emirates,Algeria and Brunei. There are other countries who to the Clinton Foundation as well.
And the Bush’s were up to there necks in the conspiracy.Doubt if they let this go through , but will see. htt://rense.com/general57/aale.htm
address was not complete. this is right.BUSH’S INVOLVEMENT WITH 9/11
http://rense.com/general57/aale.htm
I do not trust anything Obama says, does, or wants to do. He is a cowardly socialist who has always been government supported and never earned a dime on his own. A loser of the highest order.
“never earned a dime”. Both Mr. and Mrs. Obama were both very successful attorneys and earned tone of dimes while doing a lot of legal work for the underdogs who couldn’t afford the high price of attorneys.
Health care for the people, military retirement, WIC to provide food for families who work for places like Walmart, yet don’t make enough working two and three jobs to provide for their families, definitely Social Security… (Get it? “Social Se…) all are Socialist actions.
Anybody who want to waste their money suing Syria, go for it. They don’t need a bill through congress or any one’s permission to sue anybody they want. Obama is the best president we have ever had. The Republicans in Congress will not “pass a bill” for any major issues. A bill that’s been passed a year ago April by the Senate has not been voted on by the House. The Republican House members cut back the money in the budget for the CIA, Homeland security that would have provided more protection for embassies and, yes, Bengazi. Who’s to blame for that one.
I don’t know where you get all your information but Obama is one of the worst Presidents the United States has ever had. He sure talks a good game but he is a liar and a thief. Search out and see what finances he has stole from the government to finance his extravagant vacations to Hawaii.
Wow! What a surprise that Graham and McCain were the ones that tried to block the legislation. Two of the biggest RINOS in Congress.
McCain WOULD try to STOP this bill as HE just got “ONE MILLION DOLLARS FROM SAUDI ARABIA’….He IS as Crooked as they come. He also, got Over $100,000 from Big Business, when HE SOLD HIS VOTE IN THEIR FAVOR,
IN HIRING FOREIGN WORKERS ‘OVER AMERICAN WORKERS.’ HE IS CROOKED FROM DAY ONE PEOPLE, AND ARIZONA NEEDS TO WAKE UP TO THIS RINO/CORRUPT/BAGGAGE IN CONGRESS THAT IS ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR HIMSELF….NOT AMERICA.
Buck ofama, lose lindsey and mental mccain….BIG GOV’T SELLOUTS! YOU’RE FIRED!
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Me, you, the Saudi govt and even the US govt. Filing a suit does not prove guilt. And some of these issues need to be aired out and we need to be told what really happened in Benghazi and why the attackers were mad at O and HRC. They certainly were not mad at me. I don’t know nothing about what was going on. And it should be kept in mind that what does and what one fails to do can compromise a situation such as Benghazi.
The Saudi government has pretty much admitted that they played a part. They’ve threatened to sell off hundreds of BILLIONS of US assets if Congress allows victims to sue. If they didn’t have anything to hide, then they should not say anything and wait for the suit and present evidence to the contrary. It’s about time someone in Congress had the nerve to step up and do the right thing for a change and fight Obama.
Lets wait until Obama leaves office. He Is just an obstructionist and nothing will be done until he leaves. This is an election year and every decision we make now has political consequences.
Hey, they’re MUSLIM’S there, DON’T CHA KNOW?????? O’BLOWME can’t hold them accountable, anymore than he can hold his ‘brother’s of the cloth’ accountable.
The people need to know everything about this attack.!! And I mean everything. We have had enough of facts being withheld from us. What is it your reputation or the countries that your holding. But then we also know how obimbo is holding info from us with the Iran deal. ENOUGH —–the people think that obimbo is holding off trying to protect his friends of like nature from us. He is a tyrant/dictator to us and we want him gone. What more has he done with not even INFORMING EVEN YOU.!!! The open borders are a danger to all of us. The criminals that he has let loose on us. And the people in MN or WIS. has TB great work you are doing in protecting us Bimbo’s.!!!!!!!
O’Bimbo , O’Boso , O’Blamer, will do anything
To protect his Muslim Brothers .He may even
Li if he had to . Just sayin .
People are so stupid to believe that Saudi Arabia had anything to do with 9-11, which they DIDN’T do. It was a False Flag operation, carried out by the U.S. government. The planes used wasn’t even passenger planes as you could see no row of windows on them like passenger planes have. If people watch the videos, you will see under on of the planes, it had a ” POD ” which passenger planes don’t have. People need to wake up and realize these things. Watch the video’s and watch them in slow motion. You can’t believe what the government tells you.
ABOUT 9/11 STILL ARE MANY MANY ONKNOWON THINGS THAT INVOLVE PEOPLE THAR IS NECESSARY INVESTIGATE BEFORE THE SAUDI PATICIPATION.
“We’re not busy training people to blow up buildings and kill innocent civilians in other countries,” Schumer said.
Really, since when?
CARYN; has had to be a true socialist not to see the decline of our great country and it’s standing in the world.
If one, only ask any economist they will tell you the facts. We AMERICA THE GREAT, in debt that can never be paid back, we have lost the petro dollar, a lot of the world leaders won’t even show up at meetings being held by the PRESIDENT, more people on the gov. dole than ever before. I could go on and on. Wake up.
So why is nobody going after the real Terrorist , OBAMA ?
Declassify all docs about 9-11 alone for the world public to decide.
Make public for 9-11 victims alone.
Screw the Saudis.
So, Lindsay Grahamnesty is finally concerned about blowback against American interests. Where was he when the issue was what the United States was doing with trying to effect regime change throughout the Middle East?
Oh, that’s right…he wanted us to try to overthrow people in countries that he disagreed with. And to do this without regard to the consequences.
And regarding the idea that this would turn international law on its head? That sounds like an admirable goal, and is enough of a reason for me to support this legislation.